US Army Secretary Driscoll submits resignation amid Pentagon tensions

WASHINGTON: US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has submitted his resignation to the White House after months of reported tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to a source familiar with the matter.

It remains unclear whether the White House has formally accepted Driscoll’s resignation, reported Reuters.

The development makes Driscoll the latest senior Pentagon official to leave amid changes under Hegseth’s leadership. Driscoll, who is considered close to Vice President JD Vance, has also gained prominence through his involvement in diplomatic efforts related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

A source said Driscoll had raised concerns within the administration over efforts to transform and improve the Army’s readiness. The source also alleged that Hegseth had obstructed those efforts by removing generals responsible for implementing them.

The US Army declined to comment on the resignation.

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly praised Driscoll’s tenure, saying he had played an important role in advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda at the Army. She credited him with strengthening military readiness, supporting major military operations and contributing to negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

The resignation comes as the US remains involved in military operations against Iran, with thousands of American Army personnel deployed across the Middle East.

The source also said Dave Fitzgerald, the Army’s deputy undersecretary responsible for innovation, was expected to resign. Fitzgerald did not immediately comment on the report.

Brewing frustration with Hegseth

Driscoll, who was confirmed for the top Army position in February 2025, pushed the Army to be more nimble in acquiring cheaper weapons and chastised large weapons makers. The Army Secretary is responsible for training and equipping soldiers.

“(The) defense industrial base broadly, and the primes in particular, conned the American people and the Pentagon and the Army,” Driscoll said last year in a reference to large defense companies.

One U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Hegseth saw Driscoll as a threat within the bureaucracy and had long wanted to remove him. But his ties to Vance, the official said, made it tough for Hegseth to do so.

Driscoll gained prominence outside the Pentagon when he was tapped by Trump to take part in talks with Moscow and Kyiv to end the war in Ukraine – a rare diplomatic task for an Army secretary.

In April, Hegseth fired U.S. Army Chief of Staff Randy George, a major staffing change that came as the U.S. military was fighting a major war in the Middle East.

The official said George’s firing caught Driscoll off guard and led to increased frustration with Hegseth.

Driscoll told lawmakers in April that after George was fired, his family drove to the former general’s house and gave him a hug.

In June, Hegseth also pushed out the head of U.S. Army forces in Europe and he has personally blocked the promotion of senior Army officials.

“Driscoll brought urgency to an institution that cannot afford complacency,” Republican Congressman Pat Harrigan said.

“Dan’s service to this country is far from over,” Harrigan added.